US9835479B2 - Vehicle seat with load sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a load sensor for measuring a load applied from an occupant and a seat cushion frame, wherein the seat cushion frame comprises right and left side frames extending in a front-and-rear direction, the load sensor is attached to the seat cushion frame, and a concave portion is formed in at least one of the right and left side frames at a position opposite to the load sensor.

Description

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/840,930 filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/601,330 filed Aug. 31, 2012, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/242,780 filed on Sep. 23, 2011, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/039,458 filed Mar. 3, 2011, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/010,429 filed Jan. 20, 2011, which is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/961,758 filed Dec. 7, 2010, which is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/536,075 filed Aug. 5, 2009, which is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/632,403 filed Jan. 12, 2007, which is National Stage of International Application No. PCT/JP2005/013945 filed Jul. 29, 2005, which claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-223456 filed Jul. 30, 2004. The disclosure of each of the prior applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a passenger's weight measurement device for a vehicle seat which measures a weight of a passenger who sits on a vehicle seat.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, to improve performance of various safety devices such as a seat belt and an air bag, operations of the safety devices have been controlled in accordance with a weight of a passenger sitting on a vehicle seat in some cases. In the conventional passenger's weight measurement device for measuring a weight of a seated passenger, a load sensor is disposed between a vehicle floor and the vehicle seat (For example, refer toPatent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Document 10-297334

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Document 11-304579

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTIONProblem to be Solved by the Invention

However, because the load sensor is disposed in a narrow space between the vehicle floor and the vehicle seat, it is difficult to do maintenance on the load sensor. Further, if the entire vehicle seat is dismounted for easier maintenance, the working efficiency of the maintenance is to be inefficient. Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to secure the space around the load sensor. A further object is to enable maintenance of the load sensor to be easily carried out.

Means for Solving the Problem

To solve the aforementioned problems, in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a passenger's weight measurement device for a vehicle seat comprises a movable rail disposed to be movable in a front-and-rear direction on a fixed rail fixed to a vehicle side, a load sensor which is mounted on an upper surface of the movable rail, a cushion frame which is mounted on the load sensor, and a pan frame which is detachably disposed on the cushion frame to cover the cushion frame from above at an upper side of the load sensor.

As described above, because the pan frame is detachably mounted on the cushion frame, the maintenance of the load sensor can be done by only dismounting the pan frame. In such way, the maintenance of the load sensor can be done without decomposing/disassembling the cushion frame of the vehicle seat. Thus, the efficiency of the load sensor maintenance is improved.

In accordance with the first aspect of the invention, preferably, the pan frame is tightened to the cushion frame by a screw.

As described above, because the pan frame is tightened to the cushion frame by a screw, the pan frame can be dismounted from the cushion frame just by loosening the screw.

In accordance with the first aspect of the invention, preferably, the cushion frame has a gouged section formed on a side so as to avoid the load sensor when seen from above.

As described above, because a gouged section is formed on the cushion frame, the maintenance of the load sensor can be done from above without disassembling the cushion frame. Thus, the efficiency of the load sensor maintenance is improved.

Further, in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a passenger's weight measurement device for a vehicle seat comprises a movable rail disposed to be movable in a front-and-rear direction on a fixed rail fixed to a vehicle side, a load sensor which is mounted on an upper surface of the movable rail, and a cushion frame which is mounted on the load sensor, wherein the cushion frame has a gouged section formed on a side so as to avoid the load sensor when seen from above.

As described above, because a gouged section is formed on the cushion frame, the maintenance of the load sensor can be done from above without decomposing/disassembling the cushion frame. Thus, the efficiency of the load sensor maintenance is improved.

Effect of the Invention

According to the present invention, the load sensor maintenance can be done easily without decomposing/disassembling the cushion frame for the vehicle seat. Thus, the efficiency of the load sensor maintenance is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 This is a perspective view showing a passenger'sweight measurement device1 for a vehicle seat.

FIG. 2 This is an exploded perspective view showing a passenger'sweight measurement device1.

FIG. 3 This is a plan view showing a passenger'sweight measurement device1.

FIG. 4A This is a side view showing an attachment structure of asubmarine pipe11.

FIG. 4B This is a plan view showing an attachment structure of asubmarine pipe11.

FIG. 4C This is a schematic sectional diagram cut along the line IV-IV ofFIG. 4B.

FIG. 5 This is a perspective view showing aleft load sensor50.

FIG. 6 This is an exploded perspective view showing an attachment structure of aload sensor60.

FIG. 7 This is a perspective view showing aright load sensor70.

FIG. 8 This is an exploded perspective view showing an attachment structure of aload sensor80.

FIG. 9 This is a perspective view showing a passenger'sweight measurement device1 in a state where apan frame143 is dismounted.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments below, various technical preferable limitations are added to carry out the invention. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiment described below and the examples shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a passenger'sweight measurement device1 for a vehicle seat,FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a passenger'sweight measurement device1, andFIG. 3 is a plan view showing a passenger'sweight measurement device1 seen from above. In each of the drawings, arrows indicating up-and-down, left-and-right, and front-and-rear correspond to the directions as seen from a passenger seated in the vehicle seat.

The passenger'sweight measurement device1 is mounted on the bottom of a seat cushion which a passenger sits on. Further, the passenger'sweight measurement device1 is for the right side seat of the vehicle seat, and a buckle for a seatbelt is provided at the left side of the passenger'sweight measurement device1 and a tongue plate of the seatbelt is to be fastened by this buckle.

As shown inFIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a pair of left and right seat-sliders2 parallel to each other are disposed on the floor of the passenger compartment. Both of the seat-sliders2 comprise a fixedlower rail3 which extends in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle and is fixed to the floor of the passenger compartment, and a movableupper rail4 which is engaged with the fixedlower rail3 to be slidable in a front-and-rear direction on the fixedlower rail3 with respect to the fixedlower rail3.

A left end of thelower bracket5 is fixed to the lower surface of the left fixedlower rail3 by a bolt andnut connection6, and a right end of thelower bracket5 is fixed to the lower surface of the right fixedlower rail3 by a bolt and nut connection7. Thelower bracket5 is crossed between the left and right fixedlower rails3 and improves the rigidity to suppress the variable of a space between the left and right fixed lower rails3.

Thebracket8 is fixed to the middle portion of the left movableupper rail4 in a front-and-rear direction on an upper surface thereof by a bolt andnut connection10, and thebracket9 is fixed to the middle portion of the right movableupper rail4 in a front-and-rear direction on an upper surface thereof by a bolt and nut connection. Bothbrackets8 and9 are formed in an L-shape when seen from the front and they are disposed so as to erect them with respect to the upper surface of each of the movableupper rails4 respectively.

In between thebrackets8 and9, asubmarine pipe11 is provided. Here, thebrackets8 and9 and thesubmarine pipe11 will be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 4A to 4C.FIG. 4A is a left side view,FIG. 4B is a top view, andFIG. 4C is a schematic sectional diagram cut along the line IV-IV ofFIG. 4B.

A mounting hole which penetrates in a left-and-right direction is formed on theleft bracket8 and the left end of thesubmarine pipe11 is inserted into the mounting hole. Further, thebracket8 and thesubmarine pipe11 are fixed by welding.

A mounting hole which penetrates in a left-and-right direction is also formed on theright bracket9 and the ring-shapednylon bush12 is fitted in the mounting hole. Thebush12 is latched by thebracket9 along the edge of the mounting hole, and the moving of thebush12 in the penetration direction of the mounting hole is deterred. The right end of thesubmarine pipe11 is inserted into thebush12, and thesubmarine pipe11 can slide in the penetration direction of the mounting hole with respect to thebush12. Moreover, the sectional area of thesubmarine pipe11 at a predetermined distance apart towards the right end of thesubmarine pipe11 from the mounting hole of the bracket9 (here, the area at the right end) is formed to be larger than the area of the mounting hole. Particularly, thesubmarine pipe11 is provided in a shape where the opening of thesubmarine pipe11 becomes larger as it approaches the right end in the right side of the mounting hole of the bracket9 (trumpet shape) to prevent thesubmarine pipe11 from falling out from thebush12 and the mounting hole. By providing a frange at the right end of thesubmarine pipe11, the sectional area of thesubmarine pipe11 including the frange can be made larger than the mounting hole and thesubmarine pipe11 may be prevented from falling out from thebush12 and the mounting hole by the frange.

In the present embodiment, thesubmarine pipe11 is fixed to theleft bracket8 and can slide in a left-and-right direction with respect to theright bracket9. However, thesubmarine pipe11 may slide in a left-and-right direction with respect to theleft bracket8 and may be fixed to theright bracket9. Further, thesubmarine pipe11 may slide in a left-and-right direction with respect to both left andright brackets8 and9.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, aload sensor50 is mounted on the front end of the upper surface of the left movableupper rail4, and aload sensor60 is mounted on the rear end of the upper surface of the left movableupper rail4. Theload sensors50 and60 detect the load as an electrical signal.

The leftfront load sensor50 will be described with reference toFIG. 5.FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the leftfront load sensor50. As shown inFIG. 5, the leftfront load sensor50 comprises a column-shapedsensing unit52 which detects the load, a plate-like frange51 which horizontally extends in a front direction and in a rear direction from the bottom end of thesensing unit52, aload input rod53 which extends upward from an upper end of thesensing unit52, and aconnector54 which extends from thesensing unit52 to become horizontal with thefrange51. At the front and the rear of thefrange51, male screw shapedcircular holes55 which penetrate in an up-and-down direction are formed respectively, and one of thecircular holes55 is located directly beneath theconnector54. A screw thread is formed on the periphery of theload input rod53. Moreover, thesensing unit52 incorporates a strain gauge, and the load is converted to an electrical signal by the strain gauge.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a rear end of the left movableupper rail4. As shown inFIG. 6, similar to the leftfront load sensor50, the leftrear load sensor60 comprises afrange61, asensing unit62, aload input rod63, and aconnector64. References having the same last single digit are assigned to the corresponding parts of the leftfront load sensor50 and the leftrear load sensor60, and the description for each part of the leftrear load sensor60 is omitted.

The leftrear load sensor60, as shown inFIG. 6, is disposed on the rear end of the left movableupper rail4. The lower surface of thefrange61 abuts the upper surface of the left movableupper rail4, and themale screws67 and67 which penetrate the movableupper rail4 from bottom up engage with thecircular holes65 and65. By the tightening of themale screws67 and67, the movableupper rail4 is held between the heads of themale screws67 and67 and thefrange61. In such way, theload sensor60 is fixed to the upper surface of the movableupper rail4. On the other hand, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, similar to the case of theload sensor60, the leftfront load sensor50 is fixed to the front upper surface of the movableupper rail4 by engaging themale screws57 and57 which penetrate the movableupper rail4 from bottom up with thecircular holes55 and55. Here, the tip of theconnector54 is directed backward for the leftfront load sensor50, while the tip of theconnector64 is directed forward for the leftrear load sensor60.

As shown inFIG. 2, aload sensor70 is mounted on the front end of the upper surface of the right movableupper rail4, and aload sensor80 is mounted on the rear end of the upper surface of the right movableupper rail4. Theload sensors70 and80 are provided to detect the load as an electrical signal.

The rightfront load sensor70 will be described with reference toFIG. 7.FIG. 7 is the perspective view showing the rightfront load sensor70. As shown inFIG. 7, the rightfront load sensor70 comprises a column-shapedsensing unit72 which detects the load, a plate-like frange71 which horizontally extends in the front direction and in the rear direction from the bottom end of thesensing unit72, aload input rod73 which extends upward from the upper end of thesensing unit72, and a connector74 which extends from thesensing unit72 to become horizontal with thefrange71. Anelongated hole75 which penetrates thefrange71 in an up-and-down direction and has a left-and-right direction as the longitudinal direction is formed on either front part or back part of thefrange71, and anotch76 which has an opening at the edge along the longitudinal direction of thefrange71 and has a left-and-right direction as the longitudinal direction is formed on the other part. Thenotch76 is formed on thefrange71 directly beneath the connector74. A screw thread is formed on the periphery of theload input rod73. Moreover, thesensing unit72 incorporates a strain gauge, and the load is converted to an electrical signal by the strain gauge.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a rear end of the movableupper rail4. As shown inFIG. 8, similarly to the rightfront load sensor70, the rightrear load sensor80 comprises afrange81, asensing unit82, aload input rod83, and aconnector84. References having the same last single digit are assigned to the corresponding parts of the rightfront load sensor70 and the rightrear load sensor80, and the description of each part of the rightrear load sensor80 is omitted.

The rightrear load sensor80 is disposed on the rear end of the right movableupper rail4 as shown inFIG. 8. Aslide plate89 having approximately the same shape as the planar shape of thefrange81 abuts the lower surface of thefrange81, and thefrange81 is grasped by fourpawls90 formed at the edge of theslide plate89. On theslide plate89, anelongated hole89awhich penetrates theslide plate89 in an up-and-down direction and has a left-and-right direction as the longitudinal direction is formed. Further, anotch89bwhich has an opening at the edge along the longitudinal direction of theslide plate89 and has a left-and-right direction as the longitudinal direction is formed on theslide plate89. Theelongated hole89acorresponds to theelongated hole85 of theload sensor80, and thenotch89bcorresponds to thenotch86 of theload sensor80.

Thefrange81 is disposed on the upper surface of the movableupper rail4 in a state where theslide plate89 abuts the upper surface of the right movableupper rail4. Further, thelevel screw87 which is inserted into the ring-shapeddamper91 and theslide member92 is inserted into theelongated hole85 from above as a slider, and thelevel screw87 is disposed so as to erect it with respect to the upper surface of the movableupper rail4 by engaging thelevel screw87 with the movableupper rail4. Theslide plate89, thefrange81, theslide member92, and thedamper91 are held between the head of thelevel screw87 and the movableupper rail4, and thelevel screw87 can slide in the longitudinal direction of theelongated hole85.

Further, thelevel screw88 which is inserted into the ring-shapeddamper93 and theslide member94 is engaged with the movableupper rail4 so as to erect it on the upper surface of the movableupper rail4, and thelevel screw88 is inserted into thenotch86 as the slider. Theslide plate89, thefrange81, theslide member94, and thedamper93 are held between the head of thelevel screw88 and the movableupper rail4, and thelevel screw88 can slide in the longitudinal direction of thenotch86. In such way, thelevel screw87 slides in the longitudinal direction of theelongated hole85, and thelevel screw88 slides in the longitudinal direction of thenotch86. Therefore, the rightrear load sensor80 can slide in a left-and-right direction with respect to the right movableupper rail4 in the range between the point where thelevel screw87 abuts the right end of theelongated hole85 and the point where thelevel screw87 abuts the left end of theelongated hole85.

The mounting instruction for the rightrear load sensor80 is as described below. First, thelevel screw88 is inserted into thedamper93 and theslide member94, in this order, and thelevel screw88 is engaged with the movableupper rail4 so as to erect it on the upper surface of the movableupper rail4. However, the head of thelevel screw88 is to be apart from the upper surface of the movableupper rail4. Next, theslide plate89 is fitted to thefrange81 of the rightrear load sensor80, and thefrange81 is grasped by thepawls90 of theslide plate89. Then, thefrange81 is to abut the upper surface of the movableupper rail4 via theslide plate89, and thelevel screw88 is inserted into thedamper91 and theslide member92, in this order. Further, thelevel screw87 is inserted into theelongated hole85 and thelevel screw87 is engaged with the movableupper rail4. At this state, thelevel screw88 is not in thenotch86. Next, by rotating the rightrear load sensor80 centering thelevel screw87, thelevel screw88 is inserted into the opening of thenotch86 at the edge of thefrange81 and thelevel screw88 is latched by thenotch86. In such way, because thenotch86 is located directly beneath theconnector84, theconnector84 becomes an obstacle and thelevel screw88 cannot be inserted into thenotch86 from above to be engaged with the movableupper rail4. However, because thelevel screw88 is engaged with the movableupper rail4 beforehand and thenotch86 has an opening at the edge of thefrange81, thelevel screw88 can be inserted into thenotch86 by the rotation of theload sensor80. Moreover, because thefrange81 is held between the head of thelevel screw88 and the movableupper rail4, theload sensor80 does not depart upward easily. In addition, because thefrange81 of theload sensor80 is grasped by thepawls90, theslide plate89 does not slide with respect to thefrange81 when theload sensor80 rotates.

The lower surface of theslide plate89 is coated by a resin or the like so that theslide plate89 is easily slid with respect to the movableupper rail4. Instead of providing thecoated slide plate89, thefrange81 can be made to be easily slid with respect to the movableupper rail4 by coating the lower surface of thefrange81 with a resin or the like.

As shown inFIG. 2, the rightfront load sensor70 is mounted on the upper surface of the movableupper rail4 in a similar way as theload sensor80, and the mounting instruction for the rightfront load sensor70 is the same as the case of the rightrear load sensor80. That is, theslide plate79 disposed in a same way as theslide plate89 is grasped by the pawls to the lower surface of thefrange71, and thelevel screw77 which is inserted into thedamper101 and theslide member102 comes through theelongated hole75 from above to be engaged with the movableupper rail4 so as to erect it on the upper surface of the movableupper rail4, thelevel screw78 which is inserted into thedamper103 and theslide member104 is engaged with the movableupper rail4 so as to erect it on the upper surface of the movableupper rail4, and thelevel screw78 is inserted into thenotch76 by the rotation of the rightfront load sensor70. Because thelevel screw77 can slide in the longitudinal direction of theelongated hole75 and thelevel screw78 can slide in the longitudinal direction of thenotch76, theload sensor70 can slide in a left-and-right direction with respect to the right movableupper rail4 in the range between the point where thelevel screw77 abuts the right end of theelongated hole75 and the point where thelevel screw77 abuts the left end of theelongated hole75. Here, the tip of the connector74 is directed backward for the rightfront load sensor70, while the tip of theconnector84 is directed forward for the rightrear load sensor80.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, thesub frame110 in a shape of a rectangle frame which becomes a part of the seat cushion frame is mounted and fixed on the fourload sensors50,60,70, and80. Thesub frame110 comprises aleft patch member111 which extends in a front-and-rear direction, aright patch member112 which extends in a front-and-rear direction to become parallel with thepatch member111, across pipe113 which is crosses between the rear ends of thepatch members111 and112, and afront member114 which crossed between the front ends of thepatch members111 and112.

Thepatch member111 is a metal material having aweb115 and left and right franges116 and117, and is U-shaped in section. The length of theweb115 in a front-and-rear direction is longer than the length of thefranges116 and117 in a front-and-rear direction, the front end of theweb115 projects more in front than the front ends of thefranges116 and117, and thewebs115 and116 are not provided on the left and right of the front end of theweb115. Theright patch member112 is also a metal material having theweb118 and the left and right franges119 and120, and is U-shaped in section, and thewebs119 and120 are not provided at the left and right of the front end of theweb118. The mountinghole121 is formed at the front end of theweb115 of theleft patch member111 and the mountinghole122 is formed at the rear end of theweb115 to penetrate in an up-and-down direction. The mountinghole123 is formed at the front end of theweb118 of theright patch member112 to penetrate in an up-and-down direction, and the mountinghole124 is formed at the rear end of theweb118 to penetrate in an up-and-down direction.

Thefront member114 is a metal material having the web and front and back franges, and is U-shaped in section. The left end of thefront member114 is welded to the upper surface of the projected front end of theweb115, and the right end of thefront member114 is welded to the upper surface of the projected front end of theweb116. A harness which is connected to theconnectors54,64,74, and84 of theload sensors50,60,70, and80 is applied to thefront member114 by clips.

The mounting hole is formed to penetrate in a left-and-right direction at the rear end of thefrange116 of theleft patch member111, thecross pipe113 is inserted into this mounting hole, and further, thecross pipe113 and thefrange116 are fixed by welding. The mounting hole which penetrates in a left-and-right direction is also formed at the rear end of thefrange119 of theright patch member112, thecross pipe113 is inserted in this mounting hole, and thecross pipe113 and thefrange119 are fixed by welding.

Thesub frame110 which is assembled as described above is disposed to theload sensor50,60,70, and80 as described below. Theload input rod53 of the leftfront load sensor50 is inserted into the mountinghole121 of theleft patch member111 from bottom up and the front end of theleft patch member111 is mounted on thesensing unit52. Then, thewasher131 is provided around theload input rod53 as a ring, thenut132 engages with theload input rod53, thewasher131 and theweb115 are held between thenut132 and the upper surface of thesensing unit52, and theload input rod53 is fixed to the front end of theleft patch member111 by the tightening of thenut132. Similarly, theload input rod73 is inserted into the mountinghole123 and thewasher135 from bottom and the rear end of theright patch member112 is mounted on thesensing unit72. Theload input rod73 is fixed to the front end of theright patch member112 by the tightening of thenut136 which is engaged with theload input rod73.

Similarly for therear load sensors60 and80, by the tightening of thenuts134 and138 which are engaged with theload input rods63 and83 that are inserted into the mountingholes122 and124 and thewasher133 and137 from bottom, theload input rods63 and83 are fixed to the rear end of thepatch members111 and112.

Here, because theright load sensors70 and80 are disposed to be slidable in a left-and-right direction with respect to the right movableupper rail4, each of the mountingholes121 to124 can be fitted to theload input rods53,63,73, and83, respectively, with minor adjustments of theload sensors70 and80 in a left-and-right direction. Therefore, when thesub frame110 is disposed, the initial deformation of thesub frame110 and the like can be prevented, and the initial load to theload sensor50,60,70, and80 can be eliminated.

Thesub frame110 is assembled by welding in advance before disposing to theload sensor50,60,70, and80. However, when thesub frame110 is assembled, thepatch member111, thepatch member112, thecross pipe113, and thefront member114 are fixed by the jig so that each of the mountingholes121 to124 can fit to theload input rods53,63,73, and83, respectively. Therefore, theload input rods53,63,73, and83 can be matched and inserted into each of the mountingholes121 to124, respectively, without deforming the assembledsub frame110.

As shown inFIG. 3, in a state where thesub frame110 is disposed on theload sensors50,60,70, and80, when seen from above as a plan view, thefront member114 is positioned more in front than thesubmarine pipe11.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 3, theside frame141 is welded to thefrange116 outside of thepatch member111, and theside frame142 is welded to thefrange119 outside of thepatch member112. The side frames141 and142 are parts of the seat cushion frame, and particularly, constitute the side portion of the seat cushion frame. Further, thesub frame110 reinforces the side frames142 and142 as a part of the frame of the seat cushion. Before disposing thesub frame110 on theload sensors50,60,70, and80, the side frames141 and142 are disposed to thesub frame110 by welding. InFIG. 2, to make the drawing easier to be seen, the side frames141 and142 are omitted from the drawing.

A gougedsection151 dinted to the left is formed at the front of theleft side frame141 so as to avoid theload rod53 of theload sensor50 and the mountinghole121, and a gougedsection152 dinted to the left is formed at the rear of theside frame141 so as to avoid theload rod63 of theload sensor60 and the mountinghole122. Because these gouged sections are formed, maintenance of theload sensors50 and60 can be done from above and the nuts53 and63 can be rotated without being disturbed by theside frame141. As described above, maintenance and the like of theload sensor50 and60 can be done without dismounting theside frame141 from thesub frame110. Therefore, the efficiency of the maintenance of theload sensors50 and60 is improved.

Further, a gougedsection153 dinted to the right is formed at the front of theright side frame142 so as to avoid theload rod73 of theload sensor70 and the mountinghole123, and a gougedsection154 dinted to the right is formed at the rear of theside frame141 so as to avoid theload rod83 of theload sensor80 and the mountinghole124. Because these gougedsections153 and154 are formed, maintenance of theload sensors70 and80 can be done from above and the nuts73 and73 can be rotated without being disturbed by theside frame142.

As shown inFIG. 1, the front parts of the side frames141 and142 are covered by thepan frame143 from above, and the gougedsections151 and153 are blocked by thepan frame143 at the upper side of theload sensors50 and70. Thepan frame143 is tightened with respect to the side frames141 and142 by thebolt144 as a male screw. Moreover, as shown inFIG. 9, thepan frame143 can be dismounted by loosening thebolt144. Thepan frame143 may be tightened to theside frame141 and142 by other male screw instead of thebolt144. InFIG. 2, to make the drawing easier to be seen, thepan frame143 is omitted from the drawing.

Because thepan frame143 is detachably disposed on the side frames141 and142, the maintenance of theload sensors50 and70 can be done just by dismounting thepan frame143 and without decomposing/disassembling the side frames141 and142 and thesub frame110. Therefore, the efficiency of the maintenance of theload sensor50 and70 is improved.

Thepan frame143 is disposed on the side frames141 and142 by locking the locking unit formed on thepan frame143 with the locking unit formed on the side frames141 and142, and thepan frame143 can be detached from the side frames141 and142 by elastically deforming both of the locking units.

Theseat spring145 is crossed between thecross pipe113 and thepan frame143. A cushion is mounted on thepan frame143 and theseat spring145, and the cushion, thepan frame143, and the side frames141 and142 are covered with a cover entirely.

The backrest frame is connected to the rear end of the side frames141 and142. The backrest frame is disposed to be rotatable in a front-and-rear direction centering the connecting unit which connects the backrest frame to the side frames141 and142. The backrest frame is omitted from the drawing to make the drawing easier to be seen.

In the passenger'sweight measurement device1 configured as described above, when a passenger sits on the seat cushion, the weight (body weight) of the passenger is applied to theload sensors50,60,70, and80 through thesub frame110, and the weight of the passenger is detected by theload sensors50,60,70, and80 as an electrical signal.

Here, each one of theload sensors50,60,70, and80 is disposed between the movableupper rail4 and the side frames141 and142, so as to attach one sensor in the front and one sensor in the rear. Theload sensors50,60,70, and80 are configured to move in a front-and-rear direction as a unit with the vehicle seat. Therefore, despite of the position of the vehicle seat in a front-and-rear direction, the load (weight of a passenger) transmitted to theload sensors50,60,70, and80 from the vehicle seat can be consistently kept constant. Thus, the accuracy of the passenger's weight measurement can be improved.

Further, theright load sensors70 and80 can slide in a left-and-right direction with respect to the movableupper rail4. Therefore, even when the load is applied in a left-and-right direction with respect to thesub frame110 and the like, the load escapes due to the sliding of theload sensors70 and80 and the load in a left-and-right direction is not applied to theload sensors50,60,70, and80. Thus, the accuracy of the passenger's weight measurement can be improved.

While theright load sensors70 and80 can slide with respect to the right movableupper rail4, theleft load sensors50 and60 are fixed to the left movableupper rail4. Therefore, the entire vehicle seat does not sway in a left-and-right direction and the minimum rigidity as a vehicle seat is assured.

Moreover, because thesubmarine pipe11 is located more in rear than thefront member114, when a frontward inertia force is applied to the passenger due to a front collision or the like of the vehicle, the buttocks of the passenger seated on the vehicle seat are held by thesubmarine pipe11. Therefore, so-called submarine phenomenon where the passenger gets under the waist belt can be prevented.

Further, because thesubmarine pipe11 is provided separately from thefront member114, the buttocks of the passenger do not hit against thefront member114 at the time of front collision or the like of the vehicle. Therefore, the forward inertia force at the time of front collision or the like of the vehicle is not transmitted to theload sensors50,60,70, and80 through thesub frame110. Thus, the accuracy of the passenger's weight measurement can be improved even at the time of front collision or the like of the vehicle.

Moreover, because the buttocks of the passenger are held by thesubmarine pipe11 at the time of front collision or the like of the vehicle, there is a case where the submarine pipe bends forward in convex. Here, because the right end of thesubmarine pipe11 can move in a left-and-right direction with respect to thebracket9 and is not fixed to thebracket9, the load is not transmitted to theload sensors50,60,70, and80 even when the forward load is applied to thesubmarine pipe11. Thus, the accuracy of the passenger's weight measurement can be improved even at the time of front collision or the like of the vehicle.

Further, because thesub frame110 is assembled beforehand, each of theload input rods53,63,73, and83 can be matched and inserted into the mountingholes121 to124, respectively, without deforming the assembledsub frame110. Therefore, application of the initial load to theload sensors50,60,70, and80 can be prevented when the load is not applied to thesub frame110. Thus, the accuracy of the passenger's weight measurement can be improved.

Further, only thewebs115 and118 are provided at the front end of thepatch members111 and112, and thefranges116,117,119, and120 are not provided there. Therefore, because thepatch members111 and112 are deformed at the front end of thewebs115 and118 thereof when a large load is applied to the sub frames110 at the time of front collision or the like of the vehicle, the load is alleviated at the deformed portion. Therefore, a large load is not transmitted to theload sensors50,60,70, and80, even when a large load is applied to thesub frame110. Thus, the accuracy of the passenger's weight measurement can be improved and the damage to theload sensors50,60,70, and80 can be suppressed even at the time of front collision or the like of the vehicle.

In addition, because the top of thefront load sensors50 and70 are opened when thepan frame143 is dismounted, the maintenance of theload sensors50 and70 can be done.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. Various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

Modification Example 1

In the above described embodiment, theright load sensors70 and80 are disposed to be slidable in a left-and-right direction with respect to the movableupper rail4. However, theright load sensor70 and80 may further be disposed to be slidable in a left-and-right direction with respect to thepatch member112. Moreover, theload sensors70 and80 may be fixed to the movableupper rail4 and may be disposed to be slidable in a left-and-right direction with respect to thepatch member112. Here, in order to dispose theload sensors70 and80 to be slidable in a left-and-right direction with respect to thepatch member112, the mountingholes123 and124 are formed as elongated holes lengthened in a left-and-right direction, theload input rods73 and83 are inserted into the ring-shaped slide member, and the slide member is held between thewashers135 and137 and theweb118. In addition, in order to fix theload sensors70 and80 to the movableupper rail4, theload sensors70 and80 are fixed to the movableupper rail4 in a similar way as theleft load sensors50 and60.

Modification Example 2

In the above described embodiment, the passenger'sweight measurement device1 is mounted on the right vehicle seat. However, the passenger'sweight measurement device1 may be mounted on the left vehicle seat. The passenger's weight measurement device for the left vehicle seat is structured in symmetrical with respect to the passenger'sweight measurement device1 described in the above embodiment. That is, in the passenger's weight measurement device for the left vehicle seat, theload sensors70 and80 which can slide in a left-and-right direction are on the left side and the fixedload sensors50 and60 are on the right side.

Modification Example 3

In the above described embodiment, thefranges71 and81 of theload sensors70 and80 horizontally extend in a front-and-rear direction. However, thefranges71 and81 of theload sensor70 and80 may horizontally extend in a left-and-right direction. The longitudinal direction of theelongated holes75 and85 and thenotches76 and86 formed on thefranges71 and81 is the left-and-right direction even when the franges71 and81 extend in a left-and-right direction. The width of the movableupper rail4 in a left-and-right direction can be narrower when the franges71 and81 extend in a front-and-rear direction, as described in the above embodiment, as compared with the case where thefranges71 and81 extend in a left-and-right direction.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The passenger's weight measurement device can be applied widely to, for example, car, train, and other vehicle seats.

Claims (10)

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat for attachment to left and right movable rails that are respectively configured to slidably move on left and right fixed rails fixed to a vehicle floor, the vehicle seat comprising:

at least one load sensor, each of which (i) is providable on one of the left and right movable rails, (ii) is configured to measure a load applied from an occupant, and (iii) includes a main body and a load input rod extending vertically from the main body;

at least one patch member, each of which includes an extending portion that extends along at least one of front and rear directions and a first side portion that extends vertically from the extending portion, the extending portion having a mounting hole through which the load input rod of a said load sensor vertically extends to attach the patch member to the said load input rod; and

a seat cushion frame including left and right side frames, at least one of which (i) is located, relative to a center of the vehicle seat, outside a said patch member in a left or a right direction, and (ii) includes a side frame side portion that extends vertically to face the first side portion of the said patch member along the front or the rear direction,

wherein an upper edge of the side frame side portion of at least one of the left and right side frames includes a side frame lateral portion that (i) extends inward toward the center of the vehicle seat along the left or the right direction and (ii) includes a gouged section at a position overlapping with the load input rod of a said load sensor as seen from above.

2. The vehicle seat according toclaim 1, further comprising:

a first connecting member extending in left and right directions of the seat, wherein

one of left and right ends of the first connecting member is connected to the first side portion of a said patch member.

3. The vehicle seat according toclaim 2, wherein

the first connecting member is provided at a vertical position between the extending portion of the said patch member and the side frame lateral portion.

4. The vehicle seat according toclaim 2, wherein

the first connecting member passes through the first side portion of the the said patch member.

5. The vehicle seat according toclaim 2, wherein

a seat spring is connected to the first connecting member.

6. The vehicle seat according toclaim 1, further comprising a second connecting member extending in left and right directions and that extends between members that are each different from the at least one patch member.

7. The vehicle seat according toclaim 1, wherein

the extending portion of a said patch member has a larger width along the left and right directions in proximity of the mounting hole.

8. The vehicle seat according toclaim 1, wherein

the main body of a said load sensor is attached to a said movable rail at forward and rearward attachment portions respectively located at forward and rearward positions as viewed from above with respect to the mounting hole of a said patch member.

9. The vehicle seat according toclaim 8, wherein:

the said patch member includes a second side portion that extends vertically from an inner edge of the extending portion along one of the left and right directions, and

the second side portion extends in a region where the second side portion and at least one of the forward and rearward attachment portions of the said load sensor are overlapped with each other in a vertical direction as viewed from a side of the vehicle seat.

10. The vehicle seat according toclaim 1, wherein

the first side portion of a said patch member is provided with a through hole.

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